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Post by housesparrow on Dec 17, 2010 10:19:21 GMT
(And yes, I am looking at you Weyland and Jean, but anyone else who can help, please do!) I'm translating into proper English a conference report filled with papers written by foreigners who think they speak English. (The punctuation is particularly dreadful - yer continentals don't know how to use commas properly.) (She said, using one of the dreaded dashes herself.) ANYHOO . . .Member States of the EU OR member states of the EU. I'm thinking the latter. Lower case. (Yer Swedes and the like are terribly bad for putting capital letters on words that shouldn't have capital letters, but the more you do this kind of thing the more confused you become yourself.) But most of the speakers use capitals for Member States. Anyone with a style manual or similar, or just good knowledge care to advise? Thanks. Defitely lower case for "member states"; capital letters should be reserved for proper nouns only. I used to have to dictate letters and documetns to a typing pool, and the secretaries were most hapazard. I'd get things like "I have pleasure in enclosing the Council's draft Contract for the waterways countrypark project *...." I couldn't get through at all. It was a great relief when we were given computers so we could make our own cock-ups. *The title of the scheme, thus needing capitals.
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Post by riotgrrl on Dec 17, 2010 11:05:23 GMT
I blame the Germans.
Their penchant for giving every noun a capital letter ends up confusing everyone who ever learned German.
I wonder if there are other languages that similarly capitalise - I'm thinking the Swedes might? (Based on editing their papers.)
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Post by riotgrrl on Dec 17, 2010 11:05:59 GMT
(Plus they started two world wars.)
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Post by Weyland on Dec 17, 2010 11:36:58 GMT
I blame the Germans. Their penchant for giving every noun a capital letter ends up confusing everyone who ever learned German. Doesn't confuse me. In fact if you think about it you should like it that way -- it takes any doubt out of the matter. I don't know, but definitely not Swedish: "Svenska kyrkans officiella twitterkanal. ... Svenska kyrkan stödjer flyktingar i Sri Lanka efter senaste tidens strider." My Swedish pal Tomas speaks better English than most Brits, and writes it perfectly as well.
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ladylinda
Fluffy & Lovely!
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Posts: 50
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Post by ladylinda on Dec 21, 2010 14:23:41 GMT
At least with English you don't have to worry about masculine, feminine and neuter nouns and we've lost most of our declensions as well!
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Post by jean on Dec 21, 2010 14:29:25 GMT
But you do have to contend with people who, in spite of that, want to insist that we go on using feminine forms like actress.
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Post by Weyland on Dec 21, 2010 17:34:06 GMT
At least with English you don't have to worry about masculine, feminine and neuter nouns and we've lost most of our declensions as well! Which declensions have we not lost, LL?
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Post by jean on Dec 21, 2010 17:38:58 GMT
LL, you should have said cases.
(You will soon discover who are the posters on this board that you really need to beware of.)
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Post by Weyland on Dec 21, 2010 17:44:49 GMT
LL, you should have said cases.(You will soon discover who are the posters on this board that you really need to beware of.) First Ev puts me down, and then Jean, on the same day. I request Sanctuary!
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ladylinda
Fluffy & Lovely!
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Post by ladylinda on Dec 21, 2010 22:06:17 GMT
LL, you should have said cases.(You will soon discover who are the posters on this board that you really need to beware of.) Definitions of declension: n. 1. Linguistics a. In certain languages, the inflection of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives in categories such as case, number, and gender. b. A class of words of one language with the same or a similar system of inflections, such as the first declension in Latin. 2. A descending slope; a descent. 3. A decline or decrease; deterioration: "States and empires have their periods of declension" (Laurence Sterne). 4. A deviation, as from a standard or practice As I was referring to the whole gamut of these linguistic devices, I believe that I stand vindicated!
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Post by jean on Dec 21, 2010 22:15:07 GMT
If only you'd left declension in the singular, you'd have got away with it!
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Post by revisedartlily on Dec 21, 2010 22:31:56 GMT
I am thrilled to have found this thread. I always have questions of this nature and never have anyone smart enough to answer them. I will be back ( Lily Van Damme)
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ladylinda
Fluffy & Lovely!
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Posts: 50
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Post by ladylinda on Dec 21, 2010 23:04:44 GMT
I 'decline' to be bound by the conventions of pedantry.
(Mind you, I CAN be as pedantic as anyone! I used to teach English as a foreign language!)
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Post by trubble on Dec 21, 2010 23:55:59 GMT
You'll fit in here just fine then. That's how most of us tend to use it.
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Post by revisedartlily on Dec 22, 2010 9:38:12 GMT
Don't you think that the word SHOES should be pronounced SHOWS? Like SLOES?
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Post by Weyland on Dec 22, 2010 10:18:07 GMT
If only you'd left declension in the singular, you'd have got away with it! Yes. Inflecting declension was what done it.
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Post by Weyland on Dec 22, 2010 10:25:37 GMT
I will be back ( Lily Van Damme) * * * * ¡¡ NIT ALERT !! * * * *I 'll be back (Lily Schwarzenegger)
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Post by Patrick on Dec 22, 2010 10:39:41 GMT
Don't you think that the word SHOES should be pronounced SHOWS? Like SLOES? Sheep should have a singular - i.e: "Shoop". I've always thought. as Geese is to Goose etc.
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Post by riotgrrl on Dec 22, 2010 11:17:52 GMT
Don't you think that the word SHOES should be pronounced SHOWS? Like SLOES? It's pronounced Shooz. To rhyme with news and muse.
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Post by Weyland on Dec 22, 2010 12:13:57 GMT
Don't you think that the word SHOES should be pronounced SHOWS? Like SLOES? It's pronounced Shooz. To rhyme with news and muse. I'm a frayed knot -- to rhyme with booze and screws. Or, in FeeGlavverSpeak, beeze and screeze. (Also most weather-persons -- "snew this aaahhftahneen".) (Riot -- please don't tell me you wear syooze with your business syoots?!)
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